This is Civics in the Classroom, a podcast series from the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Civics in the Classroom is part of the A250 Summer Teacher Seminar, America's First Principles. This program to promote innovative K-12 instruction in U.S. history and civics was designed by the Center for Presidential History with support from the U.S. Department of Education and in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. In the first year of this three-year project, our workshops and lectures will focus on the causes and context of the movement for U.S. independence and the production and legacy of its most famous document, the Declaration of Independence.  

This episode features Dr. Shilo Brooks, president and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center and professor of practice in the Department of Political Science at SMU, in conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Engel, director of the Center for Presidential History. Together, they discuss their views of civics education, examine its relationship to history, and explain why understanding the country's foundational principles is crucial for developing informed and critical citizens. They'll both be joining us this June on campus for the first installment of our multi-year seminar series. In the meantime, stay tuned for more episodes of Civics in the Classroom and more conversations about the lessons that U.S. history holds for the present.  

The music for this series comes from the album K2 by Blue Dot Sessions under an Attribution-NonCommercial License.